Port Arthur burglary foiled by 12-year-old boy

A 12-year-old boy in Port Arthur locked himself in a bedroom and called police when he heard strange noises outside his home Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 20. When police arrived, they arrested two men who were apparently attempting to burglarize the boy’s home.

According to a police report from PAPD, the office received a 911 call from a residence in the 5100 block of Minnie Street. The caller was a 12-year-old boy who lived at the residence. He told police dispatch he heard something outside near the back of his home. The dispatcher told the boy to lock himself in a bedroom and wait for officers to arrive. A short time later, the boy reported that it sounded as if someone had entered his home and was outside of the bedroom where he was hiding.

Officers quickly responded to the call, and when they arrived at the scene observed one suspect looking out of a window of the home. After seeing the officers from the window, he and a second suspect fled the residence. Officers pursued the two men along a canal bank into a wooded area, police reported. Two police K-9 units and their handlers joined the chase. A K-9 unit tracked one suspect who was hiding under a home. The other K-9 unit led his handler to a residence in the area. The second suspect was found inside the home. Both suspects were located within approximately a quarter mile of the burglary.

The suspects, 20 and 22, were both from Port Arthur. They were taken into custody and charged with burglary of a habitation.